


All Who Live Must Die

by talconhiro



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Dungeon Exploration, Dungeon Run Dramatization, Fluff, Free Company Adventure, Free Company Story, Gen, Light Angst, Philosophy, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-27 23:48:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20768975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talconhiro/pseuds/talconhiro
Summary: Four adventurers are lured to The Wanderer's Palace with the promise of treasure that many before them have died in the pursuit of. The legends of the lost Nymian history burning a desire to save the day. How much can one newly trained Samurai really add to friends close as these?





	All Who Live Must Die

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! I get really into thinking about my FFXIV character and love turning the ludic experience of a game into prose. This fits, loosely into the "canon" of my free company. We're not an RP Free Company. Not really, but we love talking about character motivations and contemplating how our antics would fit in as side stores separate from the Warrior of Light's. We don't have all the logistics, but I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> IMPORTANT HEAD CANON NOTE. I think Job Crystals have some semblance of affect on personality when actively being used.

The sway of the ocean waves was something Hana still hadn’t fully gotten used to. She wasn’t sure what flight of fancy had her throw her sword in for The Maelstrom, but each time she got aboard a ship and felt the temper of the ocean churning her stomach, she regretted it.

Lifting her head, she could see the Wanderer’s Palace’s dock. Etched Nymian stone jutted out of the drained corner of The Bronze Lake. Overwrought with moss and lush green shrubbery it was a somber sight indeed. A constant reminder that regardless of what happens to spoken, be they Elezen, Hyurr, or otherwise, life, life will go on. Was this quartet of cute jerks approaching the fallen palace an equal reminder that humanity’s hubris was unending?

Allene’s words swirled in Hana’s head, there was definitely something inaccurate about the tale, but the fledgling adventurer wasn’t sure what to make of it. Looking up at the Cute Jerks she’d come to call friends since her arrival in Erozea, she felt her stomach ease, ever so slightly. The weight of the Katana resting on her lap felt heavier than any sword she’d held when leading the charge. This time, she was standing back so that Azure could lead the way.

The wordless, half smile the Roegadyn gave Hana seemingly calmed her stomach even more. Ghil’ra was twitching his leg, perhaps eager to get out of the boat as he drummed his fingers on its side, the Miqo’te had done so many amazing things for Hana since they met, but she still couldn’t really tell how to read the man. Flitting her eyes up to Ishk, the white mage Au Ra whose good hearted nature had brought them all together in the first place, Hana couldn’t help but laugh as Ishk blurted out, “Let’s do our best friends and save the day once more!”

Azure looked at Ishk her brow furrowing as she let out a sigh, “we come in search of loot husband, not heroism.”

“Is finding treasure not the true calling of all adventures?” Ghil'ra asked with a chuckle. He danced off the boat, flitting about in his red mage gear. The look suited him well Hana thought as she slowly followed, fastening her blade to her hip as she gingerly stepped ashore.

As Abazi hoisted anchor for them, they thanked the light party once more. “Truthfully, I have ulterior motives for bringing you here, I lost a lover here, but the tales I told of treasure are still true. Please, get me the revenge I need to move on from this place.”

Hana's heart sunk, thinking of all the lost life here over the past some thousand years, but she also couldn’t hide a growing smile, “to walk in the halls of such a lost piece of Erozean history. This is what it means when academics say we will reclaim the past. . .”

“See, heroism!” Ishk exclaimed leaping out of the boat, the force of the leap almost pulling Abazi into the icy depths of the waters below if it were not for a quick grab on the scruff of Abazis shirt from Ghil'ra, his muscles rippling and flexed to ensure that there was no chance of losing their patron guide. A smark crossed Hana’s face. It was good to see her puckish friend had not ceased his monk training he was undergoing when first they met.

“Careful now, lest we lose the soul we seek to save.” it marveled Hana how quickly the man could go from silly to serious. Azure let out a sigh, grabbing her blade from her back and gripping it firmly.

“Let's all keep our eyes out for any threats” she instructed. Hana nodded, it was still kind of hard for her to talk in group settings, especially around so many people she admired.

The past few weeks had been a metamorphosis for her. She had found herself frequenting Hellcat acquisitions regularly ever since commissioning her first serious blade as a gladiator from her new feline mentor. This has led to him connecting her to Azure morning, who also practiced as an Astrologist. Thanks to this, Azure had saved Hana’s life in a run in with Titan who ended up felling two of Hana’s other adventurer friends. Though it hurt to remember, the two had forged in that battle a friendship she scarce could put into words. From there one day the two of them had introduced Hana to Ishk Qalli.

Ishk was that kind of person who you just couldn’t help but trust. Like, Hana couldn’t think of a single soul she met who didn’t just implicitly and wholly trust the man. He had a peace with the world few could emulate. At times Hana worried he might be a little too carefree. Still. His charisma was intoxicating, the way he could grasp the attention of all in a room with his consistent sing-song cadence was enthralling. And now, she counted herself among his traveling companions.

Ghil'ra was back to dancing in place as the party prepared themselves for their dive deep into this palace. The heavy stone, deep with the etchings of a civilization long gone left an impression on Hana she couldn't quite put into words. After spending so long imagining lost civilizations, reading about and mapping their influence, to be able to reach out and touch Nymian Stone was otherworldly. She hadn't fully mastered walking around in her Hakama yet, and found herself tripping over herself. Falling in step with Ishk she found her head a maze of questions that she couldn't quite properly form.

The marvel of The Silent Garden overwhelmed her as they stepped back out into the light. The hard work of the people of Eorzea some 15 centuries ago, still with all the landscaping and greenery. This place really was a marvel of unity despite the long history of death and loss that plagued the continent.

As they arrived, they bore witness to two adventurers falling prey to the hungry blades of Tonberrys. Hana cried out, drawing her Katana, ready to run ahead, but Ghil'ra placed a firm grip on her shoulder, ensuring Azure took the lead. “we must know our place to properly help and win the day” the feline trickster reminded her as he spun into a place a few feet away, chanting a spell. Ishk, bubbly with excitement mere moments ago now donned a serious face, focusing a string of protective incantations aimed at Azure. Hana looked down at her blade, was she really ready for the weight of a sword from her homeland? Eorzean Steel felt so much simpler in her hand, the brief time she spent with Master Musosai seemed not enough? Was she really ready?

The first of the two Tonberrys fell before she had lifted the flame encrusted Katana in her hand. Gulping, she stepped forward, her mind spinning with all the logistics and theory of two handed fighting. She wasn’t certain she was ready for such a practical application, but here she was, ready to try, come hell or high water.

Just as the chef’s knife of the Tonberry was going to stab Azure directly in the eye, Hana snapped out of it, unleashing three perfectly timed swings of her sword, swing one, knock the blade away, swing two, knock the green beast into the air, swing three, stab it in the ground. At the same time, a Jolt of electricity arced from the dancing Ghil’ra, flowing with the current of magical energy at his disposal, darting forward to slash along the face of the small adversary. “At last, a noble death for a nobel foe!” he called out, and again, Hana found herself unsure how seriously to take her feline friend. Finishing the job, wordlessly, Azure skewered the Tonberry, bringing it to its final resting place in this quiet garden.

“Let’s carry on” Azure almost commanded, a serious look in her eyes as she spied something behind Hana. Hana smiled, feeling almost proud of herself. She still remembered the time Azure and her fought together against The Lord of Crags, Titan. It was early in their friendship, the woman was working as an Astrologain, and her luck, her curative magic had ensured Hana saw the death of Titan once more, without fear of dying herself. It was nice to have the tables turned, and be the one protected by Azure.

“Oh you were so cool love! You simply must show me how to do that sometime!” Ishk almost sang. Hana couldn’t see Azure’s face, but she knew that there most likely was a wry smile plastered across the Roegadyn’s facade.

Hana turned her back for just a moment to look behind her, and felt a tug on her robes, “best we make haste, unless you want his attention” Ghil’ra almost mewed, his eyes and left hand pointing behind them before he led the way forward, tugging Hana by her arms. Hana rendered speechless in surprise as she gazed upon the gray, stone like Tonberry that was slowly turning to face them. It had an aura that sent shivers down her spine.

The two caught up to their fellow adventurers in the next hall. The four wordlessly made their way through the catacombs, laying their eyes on large clock work installations that told a tale of a kingdom with many untold mysteries and techniques the people of today could learn if they only knew how to speak with the past. With a hearty breath, Hana begun to say “If only we could-”

“We may yet be able to. It’s a funny story, the Tonberry” Ghil’ra interrupted. “A Great curse, known both as “_The Green Death_” and “_The Sickness from the Sea_”, the Nymian civilization lost their forms and transformed into the very souls we now fight. I can’t say for certain if they’re actually the same souls from 15 centuries ago, but we may well have been speaking to Hyur or the sort if they had not been cursed, and we wouldn’t be saving so many people from their blades. Rumour has it that deep in the heart of The Wanderer’s palace lies an entity that has them in such a rage. I’ve spoken to a Tonberry with much less blood lust, so I very much so believe those rumours and am quite curious to see what happens when we delve deeper than any adventurer before us.” He spoke with a steady concentration, never seeming to be seeking for the story, instead it was like he was reading it in his mind’s eye. The Group froze in rapt silence. None of the books in the world could top the way Ghil’ra orated a story. Perhaps it was due to his unique, Goblin parentage, but whatever it was Hana adored when he entered this particular mode of his moods.

“WE HAVE TO SAVE THEM!” Ishk cried out, stomping his foot down firmly. A small tuft of dust lifting off the stone floor.

“Calm your heart, if we get over excited, we’ll just fall prey to the evils of this place” Azure chided, a heavy sigh escaping her chest as her armour clinked against the stone wall she rested her back upon. The chill of her stare pierced into Ishk and the two almost seemed to be about to have a row. Somehow it felt like he sense this, Ghil’ra quickly interjected so the stares lasted not more than a minute.

“Perhaps if one of us were to die, we would come back as a ghost to haunt the others, wouldn’t that be interesting and fun?!

“Don’t joke about that!” Hana cried out, a shiver running about her spine.

“You’re afraid of the ghost, aren’t you Hana, not our death?”

“Shut up Ghil’ra!” Hana cried out stomping off a little further ahead. But, despite the upset tone of her voice, a mere second later she was laughing. It was good, traveling with them. She missed her mother, and father, but, Hana felt like, even if she never found the courage to see her parents again, she could be happy with how things are now.

“Come on, stop teasing her. We all know what happened in Haukke Manor when we fought Lady Amandine. Her scar, it never healed. No matter how much magic I used on her, I couldn’t make it go away.” Ishk interjected, a half-defeated tone in his voice as he looked at Hana’s back.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind at all. But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make the undead a sore subject festering with fear.” Hana reassured their steadfast leader, half turning her head and flashing a smile after her pun.

Groans emitted from all three at the bookish warrior’s waspish wordplay. Hana didn’t believe all three truly disliked her proclivity for puns, but it was an easy way to reassure people she was in fact feeling fine. She could tell that Ishk thought he had let her down and she really wanted to make it clear that that was not the case. Not in the slightest. Who knows what would have happened if she had gone there with some other band of adventurers. Maybe she wouldn’t be here now. A small scar was a smaller price she’d willingly pay again and again.

“I kind of wish we didn’t have to kill them. The Tonberry I mean” Ishk bemoaned as they began their descent.

“All who live must die” Hana replied. She didn’t really think much of it as she repeated a lesson she only recently heard from her Sensei.

The group fell quiet. Hana didn’t think she upset anyone. It was more apt to say, some ideas create a lull in conversation. When something is think with meaning and origin, it takes time for someone to chew on it. Properly stretch it out in their mind to move on to digesting it and processing it into new thought and new energy. In those moments, people will be quiet, comfortable in the mutual silence of those they love.

As they made their way deeper into the depths of the palace, Hana couldn’t get enough of the ornate carvings on the walls. The Walls dwarfed even the almost 8 foot tall Azure. When they found the next open courtyard, Hana let out a slight gasp. The lush green, and trickling water surrounding the stone platform were like out of a dream. A large towering Goobbue stood before them. The Wide grin of razor like teeth glistened in the early afternoon sun. On its back a series of grass and green weeds grew out of its rocky, clay like body.

“The Keeper of Halidom, few knew why he rests here, guarding the deeper depths, but nonetheless, we must fell him if we mean to dive deeper for treasure and glory” Ghil’ra explained as he drew his rapier, holding the crystal catalysts for his spells up in his free hand, bending his knees for maximum mobility.

Ishk whispered an enchantment and the four of them were wrapped in a protective charm. “Let’s make this quick” Azure sighed, walking forward and letting out a battle cry as she began to unleash a flurry of blows on the clay monstrosity. The fight was rather anti climatic, the beast spent much of its time wailing ineffectively on Azure as Hana and Ghil’ra slashed the beast in the back, a small rotation being maintained as they slayed the beast. The bevvy of black and white magic slung from Ghil’ra and his staff was still dissipating as the large clay beast fell to them.

After giving a small prayer for their fallen foe, Ishk turned to the group.“Guys. We’re really cool. Rad as heck if I’m being honest. Think about how effortlessly we’ve already come deeper than any adventurer before.” Ishk said positively beaming.

“Well. Legend says that when the Keeper is felled, another will soon take his place.” Ghil’ra corrected. As Ishk’s face fell slightly, Azure broke her serious facade for just a moment, and planted a quick kiss on her husband’s cheek. Ishk quickly was beaming again. Ghil’ra took this moment to add, “but most legends are written by Wizards, Wizards must not be trusted!”

They traveled in silence for several minutes as they descended deeper into the echoey stone halls. The foot falls of their armoured feet on the granite steps ringing out ad nauseum. A hollowness rung with each step, each one bringing them further and further than any other adventurer (may) had made it before.

A group of Skeletons ambushed the adventurers. Hana found herself frozen once more. The Ul Cup Champion let out a scream of fright as one of the interlopers descended upon her. A sword swing meant for her intercepted by Azure’s left gauntlet grabbing the blade and then kicking the Skeleton back she gave Hana a reassuring nod before leaping back into the fray. Hana felt herself mesmerized as she watched the towering woman draw her blade, expelling a blast of dark energy from her left hand. The darkness sizzled like a fire, burning and melting the bone of Hana’s would be assailant.

A burst of sharp wind had one of the three remaining skeletons fall to the ground as Ghil’ra flashed a smile, jumping in front of Hana, redoubling his destructive efforts with a well placed stab right where the skeleton’s spinal cord would be if it was still living. The demonic entity fell apart. One final Skeleton slipped through and reached its hands out for Ishk. Gritting her teeth, swallowing pride and fear, Hana drew her sword.

A single movement and she was standing between Ishk and their final demonic assailant. As she skidded to a halt, she finished resting her blade back in the scabbard on her hip. The glowing flame encrusted Katana’s glow becoming another light put out in the deep dark of the Wanderer’s Palace’s basement perhaps too soon. A heavy sigh escaped Hana’s purple painted lips. She was still shaking a little, but, getting more reliable.

“My HERO!” Ishk cried out, hugging her on the side. He towered over her, and his grip was surprisingly strong for such a soft, caring man. Hana let out a half chuckle as Ishk thanked her.

“Anyone would have done it, I just got there first” Hana threw back, a pinkish glow covering her cheeks as he broke the hug.

“It would seem our samurai has found her bravery to take on the undead. Necessity is truly the mother of invention it would seem” Ghil’ra teased. As payment for his words, Hana stuck out her tongue and directed a friendly glare at the feline man which only led to a hearty chuckle escaping from her wizardly friend.  
  
After some more travel, they found themselves looking around the corner at another giant stone Tonberry monitoring a wide open hallway. On the other side a more narrow hallway awaited with a large square stone dais awaiting them.

The beast began chasing them once more. They found themselves running left and right, stopping to quickly dispatch of tonberrys for their precious lantern oil. While Azure may have been leading the charge (and retreat from the stone monstrosity), it was quite clear Ghil’ra’s quick analytical mind was taking stock of their whereabouts, providing quick directions, and concluding how they could get deeper into the Dungeon.

Hana found herself back to back with Ishk. She became his eyes, cutting down Skeletons and Tonberrys as they leaped at the adventurers with ease so that their master of white magic could focus on keeping the light party alive. While the four may all have the echo, it didn’t leave them as clairvoyant masterminds of battle (though, Azure, when equipped with her Astrometer might have a thing or two to say about the future as told by the stars), They continued deeper and deeper until they found themselves into a whide room with an oozing pile of sludge seeming to be breathing and daring them to take it on.

“Eww, a Giant Bavarois!” Hana cried pressing her shoulders into the side of her head and scrunching her face in distaste.

“Come now, what do you have against Gelatin dessert?” Ghil’ra asked, almost too seriously.

“If it was Gelatin, I’d love it. But I’ve read about these monsters.” Hana began. She mimed the act of pushing up reading glasses. This was a pose her friends would know all too well. Taking a quick deep breath she began reciting a bestiary entry written by some long dead adventurer.

“The unique characteristics of this creature include a gelatinous outer-layer of protective flesh that can alter its aspect to varying elements depending on the flan's disposition, a gaping maw capable of devouring small land beastkin in a single swallow, and a pair of sinister eyes that some say can gaze straight into one's soul. The species is commonly classified as a voidsent, or not of this world; due to the flan's advanced cognitive abilities and its uncanny ability to mimic basic speech, however, there are some naturalists and scholars who believe the species may be actually related to man. From the diary of Garwynn Thatcher, monsterologist, 5th Umbral Era."

“Impressively said Hana. I’d love to trade notes when we’re not so deep in the ground and danger isn’t lurking around every corner” Gil’ra positively purred, a confident smile becoming a beacon in the dark for the quatro.

Hana let out a soft chuckle. This felt so right. The light party rushed across the stone from the hallway into the Gelatinous ooze’s antechamber. There was no way they could lose as long as they had each other. For a moment, her fear of Humanity’s hubris washed away from her. Hana would regret that.

This time, their fight didn’t go so well. For awhile, it was simple. Hana darted around the flan, slashing it with her blade. The gelatinous ooze cursing and swearing a storm in reply. Ghil’ra deftly danced between white, black, and sword magic. Azure outputted a terrifying display of unchained darkness as she wielded her slab of metal she called a great sword both two and one handedly executing a delicate dance of blade work.

Everytime Hana slashed she felt a sizzle of ooze welting on her flesh. Just as quickly she felt a calming wave of healing magic soothing the burn and washing it clean from her skin. Everytime she’d look up and back and share the briefest moments of eye contact with Ishk. Having friends to rely on, it felt good.

White, Blue, Green, and Purple Bavarois wandered into the arena, but while Azure kept the giant flan’s attention, Hana and Ghil’ra made quick work of them.

And that’s when their good will began to melt away like Jello roasting over a flame.

Suddenly, Azure’s towering might meant nothing. The flan decided that White Mage was the most delicious dessert and no longer cared to first have its dinner. It wanted to eat Ishk with its full might. So that’s what it did. Chasing after the white mage, Ishk cried out in fear. He disappeared into the maw of the pulsing beast and Azure let our a monstrous roar of rage. The dark aether coursing around her only intensified as she began slashing an endless torrent of bombarding blasts of force on the now maniacally laughing gelatin. “**LET.**” “**MY.**” “**HUSBAND.**” “**GO!**” She bellowed each word being accompanied by a slash of her great sword. Hana found herself on another side, performing a delicate dance of swings, not taking the time to hold form or find the perfect footing. She, like the raging Azure, just wanted to swing her sword again as quickly as she could. Normally one to fill a battle with reassuring words and compliments, Ghil’ra had gone stone quiet. A pure fire of power unleashed from him as he unloaded all his stored aether in a barrage of spells and swordplay.

The oozing beast seeped away and the barely conscious body of Ishk was found slumped over in its remains. Azure tossed her blade to the side, it clang against the stone haphazardly as she hugged her husband to her chest. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry” she chanted as she caressed the back of the Au’ra’s head, running her gauntleted hand over his scales as gently as she could. After a moment she tossed those to her side too. Desperate to feel his skin on her hands. To feel any warmth still inside him.

Tears stained Azure’s face, clogging her vision. Even Hana from her vantage point could tell that. The hulking woman sobbed into her lith husband’s body. Hana was convinced that how her friends had died at the hand of Titan was a blessing. Dropped into a pit of lava never to be seen again. How do you survive seeing your husband’s lifeless body?

What seemed to be an eternity passed.

If you asked the now speechless Ghil’ra or Hana - both would tell you it was exactly 72 seconds.

Hana found herself going through the motions of casting Clemency, but cursed herself for not having brought her Paladin Soul Crystal with her. Finally as large tears stained his cheeks, slicking the scales with their salty remorse, Ishk coughed up some gelentonus bile as his eyes fluttered open. Hana’s breath caught in her throat and she realized that Ghil’ra hadn’t been as silent as she was. He was mouthing the incantation of verraise. He had told them he didn’t have the spell at a place where he felt confidently using it safely. The effects he had said were too dangerous. But when a friend could be dead, the risk has a degree of meaningless Hana supposed. Better to take the risk and face the consequences than to stand there and do nothing.

Gently Ishk raised a hand to the side of Azure’s face and caressed it. “You’re a hero still, you saved me, didn’t you love?”

A few tears betrayed Azure’s otherwise steely gaze. She simply nodded in reply.

As she looked downward, she spied Ishk whispering the incantation for Cure II. Quickly the Au’ra was on his feet again, dragging his wife up as well.

“Alright friends. Let’s be a bit more careful. Sorry for causing you fright”.

“We’re just glad you’re okay.” Ghil’ra assured, placing a paw on the tall lizard boy’s back. He could barely reach the point above the much taller man’s tail, but it seemed somehow Ghil’ra was the one standing taller than Ishk in that moment. Slowly Hana watched Ishk’s face shift from a trembling faux joy to one of upbeat confidence thanks to his cat boyfriend’s words.

Hana nodded somberly. She felt her throat tighten, refusing to do more than sob a bit. Her heart was racing a thousand beats a minute.

“I won’t let this happen again” Azure said grimly. Her expression was a strange mixture of rage and relief. Honestly a dark knight’s constant state of being. Wordlessly Azure recollected her discarded armour and blade. Hana wasn’t sure if the combined might of all of their weapons could cut through the sickening silence that had plagued the four of them. When you survive a slip into Humanity’s Hubris, you’re left with little you can say. All you can do is be thankful that you’re still able to breath. Each of them was counting their lucky stars for the breath they could all still share.

The finely etched stone became rough and wrought with decay as they delve deeper into the wanderer’s palace. Edging closer and closer to the king’s throne. The four had all grown silent. No matter how used you got to near-death experiences as an adventurer, it was never easy seeing the life force of a loved one wavering out of this place, wandering somewhere else.

Silent but for the echo of their boots on the stone walkways, the four descended deeper and deeper to the King’s throne.

Hana wasn’t sure who had first broke the silence. It wasn’t her. She didn’t think it was Ishk. She was caught in a web of memories and it took awhile for that to unravvel to a point where she could clearly separate the confines of her mind and her inner fears with that of reality.

“Hana, I think I found a cousin of yours”

That was Ghil’ra who was walking in step with her behind Ishk while Azure led the way forward as the crew continued their quick skirmish with Tonberry after Tonberry. As one was cut down, like a Hydra’s heads, two seemed to replace it. Hana turned to her feline friend and her smile finally bloomed into view.

A small purple flower was in his hand which he had picked from a spot of grass cracking through the stone. Wordlessly Hana took it and tucked into her hair. And with that the four of them were laughing once more.

It was there. In the deepest draftiest pits of the dungeon they faced him. The Tonberry king. A skeleton with a necklace lay at the top of a staircase leading down to a circular room with a throne at the far end. Larger than the small monsters they had faced so far his emotionless stare pierced the room. The Red of his coat burning in the light of his oil lamp. Even his Chef’s knife felt larger than Hana. Looking at his crown, it felt like Hana could have crawled into it with all her armour and weapons and still had room to invite friends in. She couldn’t put it into words how much the silent monarch creeped her out.

It seemed his silence was infectious and the other three wordlessly walked down and up to him. Hana bent over, inspecting the locket on the Skeleton. A picture of the woman whom sent them into this hell hole rested inside. It all made sense. The talk of treasure, though true surprisingly, the talk and promise of treasure just doesn’t compare to how sweet the taste of revenge is. After what had happened down here, Hana couldn’t even blame Allene for tricking them to delve into this madness with half-truths of untold riches.

While she contemplated this, the battle began. Hana felt her heart beating. She was frozen still. What if she watched someone die, or almost die again? Wordless, frozen she watched the delicate dance of swordplay and magic as her friends faced off against the ultimate challenge of this cursed tomb. Hana tried to will her feet to move, but she was rooted in place like the flowers, moss, and trees that had cracked the stone of this place and claimed it as their own.

Safety being both of their motivators.

And then again, things started to go bad. Adventuring was never simple. It wasn’t enough to be careful. To live you had to be brave. You had to be bold. And worst of all, you had to be lucky.

Hana never felt very lucky. Unhappy with her lot in life she tried her hardest to reclaim agency over her life at every turn. But it felt constantly like life was screaming back no at her. A knot turned and churned in her stomach, but Hana couldn’t uproot herself. She couldn’t take a step to help her friends. The same couldn’t be said for the other Tonberrys and their king.

The malefic malevolent monster screeched and they came out of every corner of the stonework. A slowly marching army of Tonberry menacing their masterwork blades at Hana’s three comrades. Twitching forward, lurching, lunging, Ghil’ra started double duty. Blasting and slashing. Killing them before they could take down their friends.

But sometimes it is better to run than face a problem head on. Real English words came from the screeching monarch. “The rancor! It feeds me, yet consumes me! Hear the screams of my Fallen brothers!” And with a single well timed slash that burned red with rage, Hana watched Azure fall and falter like a flame blown out too soon.

The beasts began chasing Ishk. He too fell quickly to its blade. His body fell across Azure. It was like in his final moments he wanted to be with her one more time. Ghil’ra was standing alone, surrounded by Tonberry and their king. Hana could see the chain of their grudge and sickness oozing from their rage. A wound allowed to fester for far too long.

“Better to go down with friends, but don’t think we’ve lost just--” confident to the end, never willing to give up hope. Ghil’ra too was cut down. Finally Hana snapped out of it. Like he had plucked the flower resting in her hair, she felt her body loosen at his parting words. Hot tears stung her face as she darted down the stairs and across the room, blade trailing behind her.

Perhaps they said revenge was a dish best served cold due to the white hot rage that inspired it. Darting her fastest Hana Slashed across the chest of the red robed terror. Hana could barely see, her body moving on instinct.

Leaping backwards, she brought the steel of her Katana across the king’s face. Landing she raised her arms in the air and whipped them back down. The sheer force of it crystallized aether and shatter it, shards of pure kinetic force slamming hard into the beast. She was not done. Flash stepping forward, riding aetheric winds, she was by the king’s side once more but she had no plans to be his blushing queen.

This would be his end. And she wouldn’t allow anything else to be the truth. A delicate dance of blade work exploded from the Samurai still trying to adjust to her two handed blade. No sooner was she cutting across the monster’s chest from top to bottom, she was tracing Z’s and X’s and all sorts of delicate cuts in a flurry of blade work that effortlessly sidestepped the king’s army. Effortless reflected his blade. The blood she drew only giving her the life force needed to keep this up until finally with a single stab to the heart, the Tonberry King fell. Long live the blooming queen.

Hana fell to her knees. Her Katana pulled out of the king clanked to the ground discarded and forgotten. The Tonberry all fled at the moment she felt the life force leave her mark. Why couldn’t she have been quicker? What had made her so slow to face the sun and stand her ground? The anger subsided and she felt empty again. Everyone was taken from her, and she could barely move.

An eternity passed again. Hana couldn’t tell you that it was once again but 72 seconds as she silently weeped for her friends. Her tear-stung eyes gazing at her blade. She shook her head, to even think of that was a sullying of the love these three had shown her. They would want her to go on. Slowly Hana got to her feet and turned around. She was ready to start the effort of dragging them back to the boat.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to.

Instead of the lifeless bodies she expected, she was blinded by the warm light of white magic washing over her friends. “How?” Hana said, but she didn’t get a response. She didn’t need a response. Sure, humanity might be chock full of hubris and prone to not thinking ahead. But Hana also knew as the four of them all embraced in one group hug that humanity’s ingenuity and undying will was something that would transcend all shards of existence.

Hana sniffled as she nested her face in the spot between Azure and Ishk’s chest, resting her head slightly atop Ghil’ra’s. “I’m...I I I sorry... I-”

“You didn’t let us down. You’re a hero still. That was fine sword play. Now, let’s go home.”

Hana couldn’t tell fully who said what. All three of them seemed to be saying slightly different things at once. She didn’t want to break the hug though. Not yet. They would wander on out and soon find new adventurers. But for now, now they would take as long as they needed to heal. All Who meet must part, but for now Hana planned to stay rooted in place as long as she could.


End file.
